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About Us

We've been serving with Crossworld in Ecuador for over 10 years. Here's a little about us.

Overview

We would love to tell you about the ministry God has called us to. Our journey to Ecuador began in our teens and has been a part of our lives ever since! Now, we have served over 10 years in Cayambe, Ecuador, helping people become disciples of Christ and bringing them together in a local church fellowship. Thank you for your interest in bringing Christ to Cayambe.

Dave's story

From the time that I recognized the call God had placed on my life, I began making preparations to return to Ecuador. Something I didn’t realize at the time was how much God had already done to begin preparing me.
As a child, my parents served as missionaries to the Navajo Indians in New Mexico. I think this early experience in missions set a foundation of sensitivity to other cultures that would stay with me for life. I had learned to build friendships with people who came from a very different cultural perspective.
God also gave me a desire to work with my hands. I have always had a knack for working on cars, and construction sites. I see now that God was giving me experiences that will come in handy in the rugged environment of Ecuador.
God had also been preparing me spiritually. When I was a freshman in High School, I attended a camp led by Daniel Anderson, the president of Appalachian Bible College. During that camp, he challenged us to commit ourselves to a year in Bible College to give us a foundation in which God could direct us. It was during my first year of Bible College that I went to Ecuador the first time. It was because of that trip that I committed to the work of church planting in Ecuador. I finished a B.S at Calvary in 1998 with a double major in Missions and Christian Education in the Local Church. I went on to complete a Master of Science in Biblical Studies from Calvary Theological Seminary and became an ordained minister in 2002. I served as a youth pastor for four years as we raised our support for the ministry in Ecuador. We then attended language school in Costa Rica for a year before beginning our full-time ministry in Ecuador.

Brenda's story

When my parents decided to go to the mission field they asked all of us kids how we felt and included us in their decision. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of moving, but I knew it was something my parents were convinced was God’s will for us. Four moves and three years later, we were in Ecuador. I immediately fell in love with the country and the people. While I was in Ecuador I got to help my parents and really got a taste for ministry. I loved it, and I knew that God wanted me in some type of full-time service. When I returned to the states for college I went through some hard times where I began to look to myself rather than the Lord. I even considered settling in a “normal” 9-5 job here in the states. But the Lord had other plans. Ken Epp, of Berean Mission, came to our mission conference at Calvary as the speaker. It was then that I said to the Lord “Anything, anytime, anywhere. I am ready.” After that I began to look at mission organizations and different countries. I wanted to be sure that anything that I did was the Lord’s leading and not mine. Through a ladies Bible study at my church, the Lord started directing me. I accepted the Lord’s leading me to Ecuador, South America as a full-time missionary. That night I called Dave and told him that I was going to Ecuador, South America as a missionary. No more excuses. We started dating soon after that, and were married two years later. Since then it’s been an incredible journey!

Our Blog

Our Blog

2017 was one of the most challenging years of our ministry. It was a year of victories and defeats. It was a difficult year as we dealt with the reality of youth who we have worked with for years suffer the consequences for their sinful choices as we dealt with six unplanned pregnancies. They simply

As usual, October has been a month full of activity. We took our youth group to the inauguration of the school year event with all the other churches of our association. The inauguration of the Youth Bible Clubs is a whole Saturday of conferences, praise and worship, and games. Dave was asked to be the

In the midst of all the activity that we’ve been involved in during the month of September, there are two words that summarize our time: purity and provision. We are in the middle of a special study for the entire church on the subject of purity. We have also experienced an incredible provision of resources

This is the question we are asking ourselves. Otón is a large community about 20 minutes to the south of the city of Cayambe. It sits at the base of the mountain where the community of Canguahuapungo lies, a place where we have done many different ministry activities in years past. There is a family

We had a fantastic week of VBS at our church in Primero de Mayo, Cayambe. There was an attendance of 117 kids! We put together a short video summary of the week so you can get an idea of what it was like to be part of the action. Our theme this year was “Jesus,

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) Caring for children with disabilities, I believe, is “religion” that God accepts. Our work with the Cotinga Foundation is making great strides to minister

The Team

We work with some of the best people in world! Meet our team!

David Meyer

David provides the organizational skills and teaching that is needed to help the existing Ecuadorian team realize their vision of planting a church in Cayambe. David brings resources and skills that are valuable in the teaching ministries and in the practical needs such as transportation, resources from the US and a representative from the team living in Cayambe itself.

Brenda Meyer

Brenda exercises her gift of hospitality as the Meyer home is the hub for the Cayambe team and for many people we reach out to in the community. Her skills are also always at work preparing craft projects, playing piano and team-teaching the ladies ministry.

Gissela Simbaña

Gissela joined the team in 2008 as a full-time national missionary. As a graduate of Word of Life in Argentina, and having worked in her home church for many years, she brings a great deal of experience and expertise to our team. She is full of energy and has a passion for the ministry with children and ladies..

Lay Leaders

Many new believers have begun to take on a leadership role. We encourage even new believers to be involved in the decision-making processes of our church by becoming involved in Bible studies for men and women. We make most of the decisions that will affect the congregation as a group, however there are certain families that have been selected by the congregation to serve in the more serious role of deacon. Please continue to pray for these developing leaders and their future in the ministry.

“We are disciple-makers from all professions bringing God’s love to life in the world’s least-reached marketplaces.” Dale Losch, President of Crossworld

The Mission

The Mission

The theme of our ministry is “Christ to Cayambe”. Jesus’ last command to his disciples was “go and make disciples”. This Great Commission has continued from that day almost two thousand years ago to today and stretched across the globe from Jerusalem to Ecuador. Our calling is to represent Christ to the people of Cayambe and introduce them to a relationship with Him that will change them for all eternity. In our ministry, the fulfillment of that ministry takes shape in four continuous stages.

1.Introduction to Christ

As disciples of Christ we are called not so much to PREACH Christ, but rather to BE Christ before others. This simple fact means that our ministry approach in Cayambe must be holistic. We seek to demonstrate the love of Christ as we proclaim it. A relationship with Christ seldom comes from a confrontation presentation of doctrine, but rather a slow process of revealed truth. We reach people for Christ by meeting with them in their homes, doing Bible studies in small groups, helping around the house, working alongside them in community projects, and becoming a part of their daily life. As they build a relationship with us, they also are introduced to a relationship with Christ. The moment of decision many times comes after 6 months or a year, but when it is made, it is done with full confidence and conviction.

2.Growth in Christ

When someone becomes a disciple of Christ, one of their earliest desires is to be united with their spiritual brothers in fellowship. These local bodies of believers we call churches. While a congregation of believers can take many different forms, from house churches to Mega-churches, the most practical and culturally acceptable form for the church in Cayambe seems to be local, community based congregations. These church congregations are able to represent Christ in a corporate way directly in their community. When disciples of Christ are made in a different community, we take that as a sign that God is working to create a new congregation in that community.

3.Leadership development

As a congregation grows, and the individuals within that congregation of believers grow in maturity in their relationship with Christ, the Holy Spirit begins to make obvious those He has chosen to become leaders. Though the gifts necessary for leadership are given by the Spirit, the leaders must also prepare themselves for leadership. One of our primary roles in the disciple-making cycle is helping leaders get the training they need. That training comes through formal Bible study, but it is also learned by example and by first-hand experience. The joy of working with an Ecuadorian team is that those who come to Christ are quickly given ministries in which they can develop their gifts.

4.Reproduction

The completion of the disciple-making cycle is when those being discipled become the disciplers. This reproduction should happen both on a personal and a congregational level. It is the natural result of a changed life’s testimony before the world. When someone becomes a true disciple of Christ, their life is changed. It doesn’t just affect their eternal destiny. Instead, it affects every aspect of their daily life: the illiterate learn to read their Bible, couples near separation discover God’s plan for marriage, addicts leave their vices behind, the unproductive become model employees, and harsh bosses become spiritual leaders. That transformation is infectious, and it's the primary factor in helping others begin the process for themselves.

SEE IT IN ACTION!

SEE IT IN ACTION!

This video is a great summary of the ministry in Primero de Mayo. Check it out!

How it works...

When we first came to Cayambe, we began working with Vicente and Dilita. Dilita met with Brenda for about 6 months until one day she reached a point of crisis in her relationship with Vicente. On that day she became a disciple of Christ. After observing her dramatic life change, Vicente also came to Christ in faith. Their story is one shared by many families in Cayambe.

Meet Christ

In Primero de Mayo, a small suburb in the metropolitan area of Cayambe, the people who came to Christ in home Bible studies began meeting together in the local community center. This congregation continued to grow as more and more people came to Christ.

Grow in Christ

After meeting in the community center for 6 years, the church family made the decision to purchase land and build a permanent meeting place. It was a labor of love, and continues to be the place this new spiritual family calls home.

Leadership Development

The church that began in the community of Primero de Mayo, has already started reaching out to the mountain town of Cangahuapungo. Several members of the church are pursuing the creation of a new group of believers in this new area.

Reproduction

How You Can Help

How You Can Help

You can become part of the team!

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Pray

We need pray warriors who will fight the spiritual battle with us. Would you commit to praying for this ministry? Your prayers are most effective when you are well informed. Sign up to receive our newsletter or follow us on Facebook to know how to pray specifically and strategically.

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GO

You can come and see the work for yourself! We often receive visitors for a weekend, and interns for up to six months. Perhaps your church would like to form a ministry team to leave a lasting impact. Send us a note to get started!